Marriages

News about Marriages, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Feb. 23, 2015

Sex improves in later years among long-married couples, becoming more frequent as intimacy becomes more a priority, researchers found. MORE

Feb. 14, 2015

Arthur C Brooks Op-Ed article submits people are growing less romantically adventurous, leading to glut of singles who are stymied in their efforts to find mates and get married; says solution to problem is for people to treat search for romance as if it were start-up, bringing qualities of risk-taking and focus necessary for business to their search for love. MORE

Feb. 7, 2015

Samuel G Freedman On Religion column asserts that Israel's stiffening on issues pertaining to religious issues, including marriage and divorce, could alienate liberal-leaning American Jews, adding another dimension to strains between United States and Israel. MORE

Feb. 4, 2015

Lisdoonvarna Journal; traditional Irish matchmaker Willie Daly, who himself is in midst of divorce, thinks he has facilitated about 3,000 marriages over about 50 years, either through his County Clare farm or at annual festival in Lisdoonvarna. MORE

Jan. 8, 2015

Study in newspaper The National Bureau of Economic Research concludes that being married makes people happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who remain single, particularly during stressful periods; study shows that economically disadvantaged people are less likely to get or stay married; in turn, those who could most benefit from marriage are least likely to wed. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Op-Ed article by sociologist Andrew J Cherlin contends census records show that social class differences in marriage have been tied to extent of income inequality among white Americans for at least 130 years; notes that records show that commentators who insist current marriage gap between low- and high-income Americans is wholly matter of values are wrong. MORE

Dec. 2, 2014

The Upshot; conventional wisdom that divorce rate in United States is rising and that half of all marriages ends in divorce persists, despite the fact that neither fact is true; marriages in US are stronger than they have been in decades, with divorce rate on the decline since its peak in the 1970s and early 1980s. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Nathan Filer Lives essay describes how in the process of being detained in Israeli detention center, due to his work as human rights activist in Palestine, his secret plan to propose to his girlfriend was revealed. MORE

Nov. 9, 2014

David Grah and Mary Daniel, college sweethearts, share how after nearly 20 years of marriage they decided to call it quits; both agree that they are now better matched to others. MORE

Nov. 2, 2014

Greer Hendricks Box Seats essay contends that marathon running and marriage are not so different, with both requiring hard work, force of will and the power of the heart. MORE

Sep. 24, 2014

The Upshot column; Pew Research Center reports that Americans are increasingly forgoing marriage; finds that 20 percent of adults older than age 25, about 42 million people, have never married, up from 9 percent in 1960; trend has been consistent for decades; though marriage was once a steppingstone to economic stability, young adults now see financial stability as a prerequisite for marriage. MORE

Sep. 21, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Elizabeth Wurtzel reflects on getting married at age 47, after years of participating in terrible relationships, many of which failed because of her bad behavior; observes that when she was ready to fall in love for real, she stopped behaving badly. MORE

Sep. 14, 2014

Many Syrian families in Jordan's refugee camps marry off young girls to ease financial burden and allay fears of rape and sexual harassment in makeshift living spaces; Unicef reports number of marriages involving girls younger than 18 has ballooned since start of the Syrian war; international aid groups warn women who marry young often become victims of domestic violence and have troubled pregnancies. MORE

Sep. 14, 2014

Op-Ed article by author Isabel V Sawhill underscores need for new ethic of responsible parenthood in light of decline of marriage in the United States; highlights ways both government and individuals can promote new social norms surrounding parenting, and highlights way better birth control methods can help. MORE

Aug. 25, 2014

New research shows that couples who are decisive before marriage appear to have better marriages than those who simply let inertia carry them through major transitions. MORE

Aug. 17, 2014

Ginia Bellafante Big City column holds that marriage of Pulitzer Prize winning writer Lucinda Franks and former Manhattan District Attorney Robert M Morgenthau, represents a kind of glamour that seems to have lost some of its currency; their relationship is detailed in Franks's memoir Timeless: Love, Morgenthau and Me. MORE

Aug. 16, 2014

Mark Oppenheimer Beliefs column highlights work of Tova Weinberg, who abandoned her career as a dentist en route to becoming one of country's top Jewish matchmakers. MORE

Jul. 22, 2014

Unicef releases study that has found that more than 700 million women alive today were married as children, and about 250 million of them were wed before they reached 15; report is released on eve of Girl Summit, international meeting being held in London that aims to mobilize efforts to end female genital mutilation and child marriages. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

David Brooks Op-Ed column, responding to blog post by Lydia Netzer, extolls virtues of what he calls the 'crooked timber' worldview; argues that people who accept the innate shortcomings of their fellow human beings and who embrace life's ironies seem to be happier and have more lasting marriages and relationships. MORE

Jun. 18, 2014

Afghan government frees Zakia and Mohammad Ali, couple who married for love despite death threats from her family and criminal charges by the authorities. MORE

Jun. 17, 2014

England and Wales make it criminal offense to force anyone into marriage, effort to persuade victims to come forward and to emphasize secular legal values. MORE

Jun. 1, 2014

Doug Block documentary film 112 Weddings follows 10 couples and their attitudes before and after the wedding; couples discuss the challenges of having children, frustrations of being there for each other at difficult times and stress that accompanies illness, divorce and death. MORE

May. 19, 2014

Hopes are fading for Afghan couple Zakia and Mohammad, who captured public interest by eloping against their families' wishes, incurring honor killing threats from Zakia's family; elopement has reverberated through their communities and outside efforts to help couple have faltered. MORE

May. 13, 2014

Indian court in Delhi has ruled that sex between a husband and wife is not rape, even if forcible. MORE

Apr. 26, 2014

Older Americans are welcoming love in retirement, but not necessarily marriage; studies show they tend to want to avoid legal problems for heirs and provisions in tax code that force married couples to pay more than single people; United States Census Bureau statistics show growth of unmarried couples is fastest among older segment of population. MORE

Apr. 22, 2014

Afghan couple Mohammad Ali and Zakia are on the run from her family and the police, as her family objects to their marriage because they are Sunni Tajiks and Mohammad is a Shiite Hazara; while couple was briefly welcomed into the home of a distant relative, they were forced to flee again when their location was revealed. MORE

Mar. 16, 2014

Paula Riezenman, whose wedding was featured in Vows column in Oct 10, 1999, shares some lessons she learned during her 14-year marriage before her husband Mike's death in January 2014. MORE

Mar. 3, 2014

Rachel L Swarns The Working Life column reflects that joblessness and underemployment often affect relationships in ways that are hard to predict or quantify, disordering routines, fueling quarrels and widening the distance between couples; describes personal experience of Eliza Stoker and Josh Buller, married Brooklyn couple whose lives were upended when he lost his job. MORE

Feb. 24, 2014

People who were married were more likely to exhibit daily patterns in their blood pressure readings that are considered healthy, a new study found. MORE

Feb. 16, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Eli J Finkel contends that a review of research about marriage suggests the average marriage in America today is weaker than the average marriage of the past, but the best marriages today are much stronger than the best of the past; examines why these trends exist, and what can be done to make marriages in the current era more resilient. MORE

Feb. 9, 2014

Annie Lowrey It’s the Economy column notes that there is bipartisan consensus that promoting marriage could be an effective way to reduce poverty; contends that growing body of research suggests that it is the absence of poverty that leads to stable, lasting and successful marriages, not the other way around. MORE

Feb. 9, 2014

Lori Gottlieb article explores the relationship between couples' emotional and sexual satisfaction in their married lives; notes that studies have suggested that egalitarian marriages, in which relationship is built on equal power, may have unexpectedly negative impact on the couples' sex lives. MORE

Jan. 26, 2014

Ross Douthat Op-Ed column contends both Republicans and Democrats are capable of being more honest about the economic and social roots of the decline of marriage in America. MORE

Jan. 12, 2014

Exposures column features interview with photographer Yael Ben-Zion, whose book Intermarried features photos of families from the Washington Heights neighborhood where she lives. MORE

Dec. 8, 2013

Both straight and same-sex couples discuss complications of settling on family name after marriage. MORE

Dec. 8, 2013

Ann Blackman First Person essay recalls her decision to keep her maiden name for professional use after marrying her husband in 1974, and subsequent confusion encountered when she used different surnames in different contexts. MORE

Nov. 26, 2013

Roots of American attitudes toward family life, in which both marriage and independence are valued, can be found in country's past. MORE

Nov. 26, 2013

Couples are increasingly choosing cohabitation over marriage or delaying marriage until they are older; researchers say that prospect of marriage has become more intimidating as expectations surrounding institution grow. MORE

Nov. 17, 2013

Bruce Felier holds that, contrary to common assumption, it is possible to have a productive working relationship with one's spouse; offers several tips for co-working harmoniously. MORE

Sep. 24, 2013

The burdens of cancer treatment take a greater toll on single patients than married patients, a new study shows. MORE

Sep. 8, 2013

Name change after marriage is becoming more complex, with couples now facing many options. MORE

Aug. 25, 2013

Dispatch column by Pamela Paul notes that many women are still addressing question of why they have to choose between using their married or maiden names; reflects on her decision to use both names. MORE

Aug. 3, 2013

Charles M Blow Op-Ed column notes that while a majority of Americans still believe in marriage, there are several factors working against the institution, especially for minorities; suggests that drug war, mass incarceration, student loan debt and structure of welfare system are among forces deterring couples from marriage. MORE

Aug. 1, 2013

More troubled couples are planning a Hail-Mary-moon, a final, against-all-odds vacation intended to save their marriage. MORE

Jul. 21, 2013

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column reflects on living apart from his partner, something that about 6 percent of married and unmarried couples do in America. MORE

Jul. 14, 2013

Chuck Klosterman The Ethicist column answers question about marrying an undocumented immigrant solely to give her American citizenship. MORE

Jul. 1, 2013

Gay marriages tend to be more egalitarian with couples leaning on a network of friends and reporting being happier and have less conflict than straight couples. MORE

Jun. 23, 2013

A O Scott holds that recent portrayal of marriage in films and television as work rather than starry bliss reflects both contemporary notions of institution as well as fact that marriage is not static; says wedded bliss does not produce satisfying narrative. MORE

March 3, 2015, Tuesday

More than once, Andy Partridge set his mind to proposing to his childhood friend Mandy Hicks, but the moment was always ruined by other couples — until the pair went on an eagle watch in Upper Manhattan.

An inability to travel freely between Gaza and the West Bank affects thousands of Palestinians, human rights groups say. Since Hamas came to power in Gaza, exit into Israel has been allowed only for humanitarian cases.